Associated Grocers of Florida

Associated Grocers of Florida, Inc. is a distributor of grocery items to independent member retailers throughout the southeast and internationally. The depth and breadth of its product line is vast, offering thousands of products ranging from meat and dairy items to frozen and baked foods. This year marks the first that the company's Pompano Beach headquarters earned an OSHA SHARP award.

The company, which opened in 1945, has always maintained a safety culture for its employees. Iris Cerullo, vice president of human resources, says their employees' well-being is top priority. "Associated Grocers is consistently striving to conduct our business in a manner which enables our employees to work in a completely safe environment."

Associated Grocers takes safety beyond the employee handbook by encouraging open communication with its staff of 400 employees. Cerullo says keeping safety in front of everyone is important for the company. "Engaging our employees to provide solutions to the ongoing initiative of working safe is our best practice. We provide an e-mail box so employees can anonymously e-mail concerns." The concerns are reviewed and documented by a safety committee that meets monthly. Once the company corrects an issue, it sends an e-mail to all employees, informing them how it handled the safety item and indicating the date of resolution. Since initiating its open communication policy, Associated Grocers has implemented nearly 50 employee-recommended improvements at the facility. "We want everyone to know that we take safety seriously and that their concerns are our concerns. We will never let an idea or suggestion fall on deaf ears and will always share the outcomes with the organization."

In 2006, Associated Grocers moved into its new 810,000-square-foot facility in Pompano Beach. A strong safety culture coupled with a new warehouse had a positive impact on the company's bottom line. In one year, 2007-2008, its workers' compensation claims dropped 57%. Cerullo says despite its new facility, employee safety is still paramount for Associated Grocers. "We believe it is not the brick and mortar which differentiates us but the relationships and productive collaborative efforts which define us."